Category Archives: The Daily Feed

The Daily Feed
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CommonWealth and Foursquare Team Up

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One of the things I love about Foursquare is that it gives you the ability to show that you’re a regular. In fact, you can show that you’re the regular. The guy who’s on that stool day after day, because you love the place, and they love you. It’s about belonging, it’s about loyalty, and it’s about culture. Those are the things I love about the places where I’m a regular. If you look at my Foursquare Profile you can see I spend time at Boulevard and Overwood, and that I recently lost the mayorship of Chinatown Coffee (darn you, Peter Corbett! Darn you all to heck!) but that I go a lot.

San Francisco’s known for all the promos that their Foursquare venues do for their mayors, and I’m glad to see that DC’s following suit. CommonWealth Gastropub is rewarding their mayor with a free beer (16oz) with purchase of an entree. Better look out, David C., you’re going to have some competition for Mayor, I’d bet. Better get there while you’re still mayor!

The Daily Feed
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Cold Case Cards Could Solve Crimes

Photo courtesy of
”
courtesy of ‘Chris Rief aka Spodie Odie’

I ran across this Post article today about the DC Department of Corrections’ program that involves printing cold case information on the faces of playing cards and distributing them to inmates in hopes of generating a tip.

So far the cards, which cost about $1/deck when DC bought them in bulk and which cost about $2/deck if you buy them retail, haven’t actually led to any arrests in the 16 months they’ve been in use. According to the manufacturer, the 1 million decks in use across various law enforcement jurisdictions in the US have led to 20 solved homicides. Some Googling didn’t turn up any “average cost of a homicide investigation” type numbers, but the few articles that cited cost of any type of investigation vs. a result indicates that a million to help clear 20 murders is within reason for investigative costs.  The DC decks are funded out of prison commissary profits, which I also thought was interesting.

The Daily Feed
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Council is going to address the gay marriage bill shortly

Photo courtesy of
‘Supreme Court Pediment’
courtesy of ‘Kevin H.’

If you’d like to watch the proceedings you can tune in on the web on dc.gov. UPDATE: If you’re not a Windows user you can snag the free player, VLC, and open the direct link at mms://dcgov.ecstreams.com/DC_CH-13

If you’d like to watch people tweet about if you can look for hashtag #dc4m.

Or you could just wait and read about it, because it’s pretty much a foregone conclusion that the council will pass it.

The Daily Feed
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6-Year-Old Doesn’t Know Who The President Is

Photo courtesy of
‘Artomatic 2009 DC Obama’
courtesy of ‘Mr. T in DC’

The 2008 Presidential Election is considered — by many —  to be one of the most historical in all of American history. So when I read that 6-year-old Anna Matsui (who was an elf at Sunday’s Christmas in Washington) had no idea who the President was, my heart fluttered and I proceeded to let out a giant “awwwwwww!!!!”

Yeah … he won a Nobel Peace Prize. Sure … he’s inspired millions. But there’s just something so sweet and so innocent about a little girl introducing herself to the most powerful man in the country only to say, “I’ve never seen you before!”

At least Obama chuckled along with her and said, “I’ve never seen YOU before!”

Way to go Anna! You should get huge karma points for being so kind to a complete stranger!

Food and Drink, News, The Daily Feed
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Ristorante Piccolo to Reopen in New Year

Photo courtesy of
‘Georgetown’
courtesy of ‘David Paul Ohmer’

It’s been over a year since an early morning October 20th fire gutted Georgetown’s romantic, date night hot spot Ristorante Piccolo. Damages to the Italian restaurant were estimated at 1M, and the location has been out of service for the last 15 months, leaving carb and chunky tomato sauce lovers hungry.

However, according to a recently displayed banner on the restaurant;s door,  the eatery is scheduled to reopen in early 2010. No word yet on final opening date, or on what changes have/will take place to the menu, staff, or decor. Personally, after a one dining experience, I was a fan of the food and service, so hopefully the new edition will not depart too far from the original.

The Daily Feed
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Bonuses Keep Flowing for DC Officials


cash by TheTruthAbout…

Unless you’ve been living in a cave, or possibly in a mansion, you’ve probably heard of the economic downturn we’re in the middle of.  No?  Apparently our city officials are living in your dream world too.

According to a recent article by the Washington Examiner, $15 million in bonuses have been handed out to city officials since Mayor Fenty took office in January of 2007.  Granted, many of these bonuses were written into contracts in the good old days when our economy was believed to be strong, but bonus money keeps flowing despite the recession.

Continue reading →

The Daily Feed, We Green DC
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Holiday Shopping to Save the Tamarins

Photo courtesy of
‘Cotton-top Tamarin’
courtesy of ‘suneko’

If there’s anything more so-ugly-it’s-cute than a cotton-top tamarin, with its dark little face and long white mohawk, I’ve not seen it. And tomorrow night, you can help save these critters at the Supporting Conservation Through Art Eco-Mochilas Exhibit, presented by the Cotton Top Tamarin Project, from 5:30 – 9 p.m. at Studio Gallery near Dupont Circle.

Just in time for holiday shopping, there you can buy hand-woven bags called eco-mochilas. All proceeds will be sent directly to the communities in Colombia that make the bags, which serve as an alternate source of income to replace hunting endangered wildlife like the tamarins.

Still not sure? Just listen to these guys chatter. It’ll melt your heart.

News, The Daily Feed, The District
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DC Ranks #1 In Student Debt

Photo courtesy of
‘Money’
courtesy of ‘bredgur’

It wasn’t enough to name Georgetown University #7 on the list of top 10 colleges and universities with the priciest dorms. Nope, not by a long shot.

Apparently almost half of the students attending secondary education institutions in DC graduate with debt. Not only that, but they have the highest debt in the country.

Washington Business Journal announced today that the average debt upon graduation from a DC institution in 2008 was $29,793. When compared to the national average ($23,200), there appears to be quite a discrepancy in price.

American University topped the list with an average of $34,213, with George Washington University in second, and Georgetown in third. Visit Jeff Clabaugh’s article at the business journal for more on the numbers.

Special Events, The Daily Feed
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Skeeball League at H Street Country Club

Photo courtesy of
‘Skeeball at H Street Country Club’
courtesy of ‘InspirationDC’

While I’m a bocce girl myself, I’m also a big fan of skeeball. (I’m good at sports that involve standing in one place, drinking, and rolling balls.) So when H Street Country Club announced their skeeball league, I immediately notified my bocce team. We could use some winter practice…

The press release from H Street says, “Beginning Janurary 10, teams of eight will battle the best D.C. has to offer for a chance at glory, skee-ball greatness and prizes. This season, H Street Country Club has joined United Skeeball Association, which hosts games in several cities along the East Coast, to offer D.C. adults a competitive, social league that offers a fun way to connect with people. Skee-ball games will be held at H Street Country Club every Sunday and Tuesday night for eight weeks. Once a week, each team will play two games to determine final rankings. The season will culminate with a one-day playoff and championship challenge.”

Registration for season two at H Street Country Club is officially open. Players can start a team or join individually and find a team at www.unitedskeeball.com/leagues/h-st-country-club. The deadline to sign up for season two is January 10, 2010.

The Daily Feed
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TUBACHRISTMAS Tonight at The Kennedy Center

Photo courtesy of
‘band in a tuba’
courtesy of ‘philliefan99’

TUBACHRISTMAS is back for its 35th season led by Harvey Phillips. Play the tuba, sousaphone, or euphonium? Get to The Kennedy Center by 3 p.m. for rehearsal and you can be a part of this holiday tradition dating back to 1974.

The event is tonight and will feature Christmas favorites. But note — there will not be any seating. It is standing room only and all individuals headed for the audience should know that they are able to sit on the floor if need be.

Tonight’s show starts at 6 p.m. and will be held in the Grand Foyer of the Kennedy Center’s Millenium Stage.

For more information visit: http://www.tubachristmas.com/readtcloc.php?TCState=DC

Can’t make the show? Check out a live broadcast here!

Sports Fix, The Daily Feed
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Congratulations DC Hornets!

Congratulations go out to the DC Hornets, a DPR Pop Warner Football team from the Watkins Rec Center, on their victory in Saturday’s Pop Warner Super Bowl! They defeated the Florida City Razorbacks 22-8 and earned a heroes’ welcome yesterday, with a salute from the Mayor. Coach Delante Williams will be given the key to the city at a future city council meeting. You can see a post-game interview with Coach Williams courtesy of Pop Warner. “They played a very physical game,” he said, and attributed their success to hard work. The Hornets only gave up one touchdown, and it was on the very first play, with the Razorbacks returning the kickoff for a touchdown. After that, it was lights-out defense and strong offense that lead to a win for the Hornets.

Congratulations, boys, you’ve done your city proud!

The Daily Feed
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When the Correction Isn’t Enough

Photo courtesy of
‘Party Animals on First Street, SE’
courtesy of ‘kimberlyfaye’

You might’ve caught the Post’s correction last week that dealt with Public Enemy’s 911 is a Joke in Your Town. The resulting edits to Akeya Dickson’s piece has lead to no small amount of derision from the internet.

As it turns out, it’s not her fault. It was the fault of a copy editor, Maria Henriques, who made the change not knowing the song. Chanda Washington, Akeya’s editor, allowed the change without reviewing it with Akeya, and encouraged the correction be made without without revealing the source of the error.

Two “own goals” as Rob Pegoraro put it on his Twitter this morning. I couldn’t agree more. Very sorry, Ms. Dickson, you deserved better from your publication, and I’m glad the Ombudsman recognized that much.

Food and Drink, The Daily Feed
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Screwtop Wine Bar Opens Tomorrow

Photo courtesy of
‘Wine at Veritas’
courtesy of ‘InspirationDC’

I’ve been eagerly anticipating a proper wine bar opening in Arlington, and the day is finally here! Screwtop is opening in Clarendon, on Filmore Avenue – one block down from the Clarendon Gold’s and in the same building as American Flatbread. Offering a long list of wines by the glass, mainly from boutique wine dealers, as well as delicious sounding food like baked brie, and bacon-wrapped dates. Not a wine lover? Screwtop is offering beer and cocktails, even with beers on draft. Daily Candy reports that they’re offering free popcorn (dusted with truffle salt), and Screwtop will also be offering special flavors of Arlington’s own Boccato Gelato.

Hours will be:
Tuesday-Thursday: 11am – 10pm
Friday-Saturday: 11am – 11pm
Sunday: 11am – 6pm
Monday: closed

Cheers!

Food and Drink, News, The Daily Feed
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Northside Social Now Inside Liberty Tavern

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Clarendon’s a perfect spot for me in the morning, as it’s on the way into the District if I’m headed that direction for client visits, or if I’m on my way out to the exurbs for other client visits. Since Murky’s demise, I’ve been jonesing for a good coffee shop in my neck of the woods. I tried Greenberry’s without any luck, I can’t do Starbucks, and that leaves me with hardly any good options.

No longer. Northside Social (Facebook for now), going into the old Murky space, is operating from the first level of Liberty Tavern for the next few weeks, serving up coffee and espresso (nothing too exotic, though, leave chai and flavor syrups on your wishlist for when they open back up across the street) as well as scones and muffins (today’s Frangelico muffin was extra delicious) and tomorrow they’ll add a tasty breakfast sandwich, with house-cured bacon and Polyface eggs on toasted bread. I’ll see you there.

The Daily Feed
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Parade of Lights

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I took a quick overnight trip to Annapolis over the weekend to hang out, eat food, shop and to see the parade of lights. The parade of lights is a holiday parade where decked-out lit-up boats float along Naptown’s waterfront, blasting holiday music and causing a ruckus. I snapped a few pictures, and thought I’d share. It was obviously dark, and the boats were moving, so it gets a little artsy, but I still think it’s fun. Continue reading →

Fun & Games, News, Special Events, The Daily Feed
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Gonzaga upsets 10th ranked Mater Dei for DC Classic title

Photo courtesy of
‘Gonzaga – 09 Jesuit Gridiron Classic – Eagles Nest – 9-19-09’
courtesy of ‘mosley.brian’

Saturday night’s Championship game of the Gonzaga DC Classic held at America University’s Bender Arena proved to be as exciting of a match up as its billing promised.

After two days of  tournament play, the final two teams, Mater Dei (CA) and Gonzaga College High School (DC,) both nationally ranked programs at 10th and 17th respectively, were set to face off.  Based on rankings alone Mater Dei was favored, but no one doubted that the talented Gonzaga squad would make this a tight, action packed game.

The first half was, literally, breathe taking. Court play swung back and forth at a rapid pace with both teams running the length of the court and holding stoppage time to a minimum. Fast breaks set the game’s pace, both defenses played tight, turnovers were abundant and perimeter shooting dominated the scoreboard. The half time score, a low 26-24 with Gonzaga leading Mater Dei, reflected the tight game play. Continue reading →

Food and Drink, Fun & Games, People, The Daily Feed, WTF?!
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To “the tall brunette with the near perfect body…”

Photo courtesy of
‘DSC_1573’
courtesy of ‘euthman’

I’m not going to say much about this because my mother reads this blog, but “even if you are a liar and fart like a Clydesdale, I’d love to meet up,” has to be the greatest pickup line of all time.  Tall brunette in Rockville, you’re on notice.  Maybe it’s time to start carrying a small dog to blame, or something.

The Daily Feed
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Win some Peeps loot

Photo courtesy of
‘sugar overload’
courtesy of ‘philliefan99’

If you’ve been anywhere near any source of media in the last 24 hours you’ve seen or heard some coverage of the new Peeps store in National Harbor. Who knew you could support a whole store based on one marshmallow creation?

Anyway, gift bags went out to muckity-mucks during the grand opening yesterday and the National Confectioner’s Association snagged one and is giving it away. Go take a guess at how long a peep took to make back in 1953 and you might win “a Mike and Ike mug, a plush stuffed Peep Bunny and plenty of candy.”